Russia Successfully Tests Mobile Intercontinental Ballistic Missile

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation conducted a training and combat launch of a mobile, solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from the Plesetsk State Test Cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk region. The missile traveled across the country, with training warheads successfully reaching the Kura test range on the Kamchatka Peninsula.

During the operation, the Strategic Missile Forces practiced redeploying a mobile launch battery to a remote area before executing the launch to verify the system's tactical, technical, and flight characteristics. While the ministry did not name the specific missile model used in this test, it has previously conducted Yars ICBM launches from the same site.

President Vladimir Putin linked the broader missile development program to the 2022 unilateral withdrawal of the United States from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, stating the program is necessary to preserve the strategic balance of power. Putin has previously described the RS-28 Sarmat system as the most powerful missile system in the world. Following the test, the military indicated plans to equip the first missile regiment with the new weapon system by the end of the year.